VA Putting Mobile Pharmacies on the Road

VA Putting Mobile Pharmacies on the Road
Peake: VA Reaches Out to Vets, Families in Need

WASHINGTON (March 18, 2008) -- To support veterans and their families
during major emergencies, especially natural disasters, the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun to deploy mobile pharmacies that will
provide vital medicine when patients are unable to fill their
prescriptions. VA will also open up the facilities to help communities
during major disasters and other emergencies.

"The mobile pharmacies give VA the ability to provide critical
medications to veterans when disaster strikes," said Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "VA is committed to ensuring our
veterans receive their care and prescriptions as soon as possible during
an emergency."

Each VA mobile pharmacy is housed in a 40-foot-long solid steel trailer
built to withstand winds in a Category 3 storm. The units include a
satellite connection with VA's Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy
system, a computerized, automated state-of-the-art mailout pharmacy that
can process more than 1,000 prescriptions hourly.

Pharmacists can use the satellite system to obtain a veteran's
prescription data to dispense the drugs on site. In addition, VA can
send replacement medications during an emergency by mail or another
carrier to a veteran's home or temporary address.

VA recognized the need for mobile pharmacies in 2005 after hurricanes
Katrina and Rita severely damaged VA medical centers along the Gulf
Coast. The Department deployed several mobile medical clinics as part
of its response to the disasters.

The first mobile pharmacy was unveiled on Sept. 11, 2007 in front of
VA's Washington, D.C., headquarters. The unit was displayed recently at
a meeting of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists in Las
Vegas. A second mobile pharmacy is expected to be delivered in March
2008.

To ensure rapid response to a wide range of emergencies, VA's mobile
pharmacies will be strategically placed across the nation. Plans now
call for one of the three mobile pharmacies to be stationed at Dallas;
Murfreesboro, Tenn.; and Charleston, S.C. The Department also expects
to acquire a fourth unit that will be placed in the western part of the
country.

Each mobile pharmacy is divided into five compartments, including a work
area for pharmacists, an entryway accessible to patients and a sleeping
area with a bath and shower for VA personnel.

Pharmacy personnel from across the country have already volunteered to
staff the units in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
Six pharmacists who were part of a regional disaster drill have already
completed their training and can deploy on short notice.

"Our mobile clinics enabled us to provide critical services during
hurricanes Katrina and Rita not only to veterans but also to thousands
of others in the area who were adversely affected by the storm," said
Michael Valentino, VA's pharmacy chief. "These new mobile pharmacy units
will ensure that we are even better prepared for future emergencies."

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